Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Simple sentences: past tense - i

The tense marker i te is used to say that something was happening in the past:

I te oma au.
I was running.

This indicates continuous action - I must have been running for a duration of time.

Another tense marker indicates that something happened at a particular point in time, perhaps only once. This uses i as the tense marker:

I oma au.
I ran.

The difference between "I ran" and "I was running", or "she sang" and "she was singing" can be quite subtle, but one refers to continuous action and the other refers to a particular moment in time when an event happened.

Kei te kōrero ia.
She is talking.

I te kōrero ia.
She was talking.

I kōrero ia.
She spoke.

Kei te waiata ngā tamariki.
The children are singing.

I te waiata ngā tamariki.
She were singing.

I waiata ngā tamariki.
The children sang.

I whakatō i ētehi kai māori pērā i te kūmara me te kōkihi.
We planted native food like kūmara and native spinach.

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I āwhina mai ia. He atawhai nōna.
She helped me, She is very kind.

I hoko a Rangi i te waka.
Rangi bought the car.

I pai taku moe, tuahine.
My sleep was good, sister.

I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.

I haere rāua ki te whare pikitia inanahi.
Those two went to the movies yesterday.

I noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I haere rātou ki te ngahere inānahi.
They went to the forest yesterday.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I tono ahau kia mutu te tetū.
I ordered that the rowdy behaviour should stop.

I pēwhea moe, tungāne?
How was your sleep, brother?

I tērā tau i hūnuku tōku whānau ki ngā roto o Kai Iwi.
Last year, my family moved to the lakes of Kai Iwi.

I waiho ahau i te koti ki whare.
I left the coat at your house.

I hoatu a Mere i te keke ki tana tama.
Mary gave the cake to her son.

I aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?

I tapahi a Marama i a ia.
Marama cut herself, or, Marama cut him.

I oma au.
I ran.

I tihewa ia i te roa nei.
She sneezed all night.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I pēnei anō te tītere o te moana inanahi nei i tēnei .
The sea yesterday was as rough as it is today.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I tupu hoki ahau i reira.
I also grew up there.

I whānau mai au i Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
I was born in Wellington.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I pīrangi a Tau ki te haere hei mema pāremata.
Tau wanted to become an MP.

I kai ngā tamariki i te parāoa.
The children ate the bread.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I kauhoe atu ia ki te motu.
He swam to the island.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I tatari mātou i te kēti.
We walked by the gate.

I noho ngā wāhine ki te marae.
The women stayed at the marae.

I kite a Aroha i te katipō.
Aroha saw a katipō.

I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.

I rongo a Kauri i te kurī.
Kauri heard the dog.

I pēwhea hoki moe, e ?
How was your sleep, Mum?

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I whānau au i Poihākena, i Ahitereiria.
I was born in Sydney, Australia.

I titiro atu ia ki te , ka tihewa.
He look at the sun and sneezed.

I haere ā tāua tamariki ki rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I waiata rāua i te hui?
Kāore rāua i waiata i te hui?

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I kite koe i te pirihimana?
Kāore koe i kite i te pirihimana?

I rangona e koe tērā haruru?
Did you hear/feel that rumble?

I tāraia te waka ki te toki pounamu.
The canoe was carved with a jade adze.

I hīkoi ia ki te kura.
She walked to school.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

I kite a Amaru i a ia anō.
Amaru saw himself.

I mahi poka noa au ki te keri i te whenua, ka kohete mai ia, 'E tama e! Me taki karakia i te tuatahi'.
I heedlessly started digging and she growled at me, 'Boy! You should do karakia first!'

I taku whare te hui.
The meeting was at my place.

I haere koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?

I haere te kura ki te tāone ki te whakataetae te kapa haka.
The school went to town to compete for the kapa haka.

I kite au i tērā tamaiti tāne.
I saw that boy.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I haere koe ki te toa?
Kāore koe i haere ki te toa?

I aha koe i te mutunga wiki?
What did you do in the weekend?

I haere ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.

I tauomaoma rātou e rua maero i te one.
They had a race for two miles along the beach.

I karanga atu ki ngā manuhiri au.
I called to the guests.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I haere a Hori ki te kanikani ki te kimi hoa wahine.
Hori went to the dance to look for a girlfriend.

I pou māua i ētahi rākau māori: he tōtara, he tarata, he kōwhai hoki.
We planted some native trees: tōtara, tarata and kōwhai.

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I oma mai te katipō raro mai i te takapau.
The spider ran out from under the mat.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I kai koe i te aha i nāpo?
What did you eat last night?

I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.

I whakatā māua i te whare.
We (me and one other) rested at the house.

I pai. I au taku moe.
It was good. I slept well.

I pātōtō ia i runga i te tēpu.
She knocked on the table.

I haere au ki te kauhoe.
I went for a swim.

I tērā , ka tae mai ētahi manuhiri.
Last night, some visitors arrived.

I oma te tama ki te kura.
The boy ran to school.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

I ngā hōtoke kei ngā raorao, kei ngā mānia, ā, i ngā raumati kei ngā maunga.
In the winter they were on the foothills and on the plains, and in the summer they were in the mountains.

I pekepeke te tamaiti i te taiapa.
The child jumped backwards and forwards over the fence.

I pakipaki te katoa me rātou kore e tino mārama ki tāua i ai.
Everyone applauded though they did not entirely understand what he had said.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I aha koe i tēnei ata?
What did you do this morning?

I haere mātou ki Kāpiti inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I pakeke ake ia i Te Waipounamu.
He grew up in the South Island.

I noho au i reira i tērā tau.
I stayed there last year.

I haere a Hemi ki te whare pikitia.
Hemi went to the cinema.

I Kohitātea ka whakatā tonu mātou.
We always take our holidays in January.

I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei .
We finished early today.

I tae atu rātou ki reira me ā rātou .
They arrived there with their guns.

I pānui a Toa i tērā pukapuka.
Toa read that book.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I tae tōmuri mai ia i te .
He arrived late last night.

I tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I kai au tahi me...
I ate with...

I mahi au i te māra, ā, āe, i pānui pukapuka, ā, i tunu hoki au i te kai te whānau.
I worked in the garden, yeah, I read books and I cooked for the family.

I haere au ki te pāka hei te hikoi.
I went to the park in order to walk.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I rapu haere ia i ana .
He went around looking for his keys.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga i te waru karaka.
Me and my friend drove to uni at 8 o'clock.

I haere rāua i te tahataha awa.
They walked beside the river.

I kite au i a rātou e ika ana.
I saw them fishing.

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I haere au ki te pāka ki te hikoi.
I went to the park to walk.

I hīkoi au me te kurī.
I walked the dog.

I kite au i te kurī i te pāmu.
I saw the dog at the farm.

I haere au ki to awa ki to hīkoi, i toro auto ki tōku hoa, ā, i kai tahi hoki me tōku whānau.
I went to the river to go walking, I visited my friend and I are together with my family.

I whakaakona māua ki te raranga harakeke e māua kaiako.
We (2 exclusive) were taught to weave flax by our teacher.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I taku taenga atu ki te kāinga, kua maoa i a ia ngā kai.
When I got home, he had already cooked dinner.

I ngā o mua, te hōiho te moua e .
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.

I haere au ki te awa ki to hīkoi i te mutunga wiki.
I went to the river to go walking in the weekend.

I kōrero a Tīmoti ki te whakaminenga.
Tīmoti addressed the assembled people.

I noho rātou ki te kāinga o Manu.
They stayed at Manu's home.

I pahure atu au i te whare.
I walked past the house.

I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I pātōtō tonu ia i runga i te tēpu.
She kept knocking on the table.